The NBA and WNBA have signed agreements to broadcast and stream games for the next eleven years. The NBA's agreements run from the 2025-2026 season through the 2035-2036 season. In the case of the WNBA, the agreement covers the 2026 to 2036 seasons.
Professional basketball has been a mainstay of ESPN for years and that… continueand the Disney-owned network will remain the primary broadcast rights holder for both leagues. ESPN will be the exclusive home of the NBA Finals for the 11 years of the new agreement, as well as five of the 11 years of the WNBA Finals. Games covered under the ESPN deal will be part of the sports network’s direct-to-consumer platform, and a package of NBA and WNBA games will also be available to stream on Disney+ in select international markets.
While most games will air on ESPN, basketball will have a bigger streaming presence thanks to two new partnerships. NBC and Peacock will have access Up to 100 domestic NBA games will be broadcast during each regular season. About 50 games will be exclusive to the Peacock streaming platform, including Monday night domestic games and doubleheaders. The remainder of the games will be streamed on amazon. Prime Video will be the home of 66 regular-season games. amazon-prime-video-and-the-nba-announce-landmark-1″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:NBA games;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:3;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”>NBA games and 30 regular season amazon-prime-video-and-the-wnba-announce-new-11yea” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:WNBA games;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:4;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”>WNBA Games each year of the agreement.
Regular basketball viewers may notice that TNT Sports is not part of this programming. The NBA's deal with that network doesn't appear to be up for renewal beyond next year, and most of those games will go to amazon. But the situation could go into overtime. TNT Sports x.com/TNTSportsUS/status/1816227696441204798″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:claims;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:5;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”> which matched amazon's offer for the games and it seems that it is in doubt whether the NBA can change partners. NBA statement that parent company Warner Bros. Discovery's offering didn't match amazon's, leaving them free to look elsewhere.
The long-awaited deals for both basketball leagues aren’t a complete guarantee for fans. On the plus side, the next decade marks a notable shift toward streaming. After so long with the sport being closely tied to streaming programs, having access as part of your existing streaming plans is great. But on the downside, having multiple media partners means you’ll have to double- and triple-check where to watch each game. Major League Baseball, for example, has games spread across ESPN, Fox, Apple TV+, TNT Sports and MLB Network on any given night.
